Highlights of Aye Write!

You should know by now that Aye Write! is Glasgow’s literary festival, which runs from the 6th to the 14th of March; it’s all held in the Mitchell Library, an excellent venue which could have been built especially to host this sort of event (in fact, it probably was). So, since you know all that, let’s just go straight into our recommendations for the festival:

Friday 6 March

Scottish Poetry Slam Championship Final (9-11pm)

Poetry slams have been described as professional wrestling to actual poetry’s boxing. But in a good way, honest! In both, a lot of work goes into being entertaining. Contestants from all over the country (and beyond) compete for the championship over several rounds – enjoyment guaranteed.

Saturday 7 March

Atheism Panel (1.30-2.30 pm)

Scientist Raymond Tallis, philosopher Julian Baggini and writer Christopher Brookmyre (who is also president of the Humanist Society of Scotland) all appear here at one of the events to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin. They’ll be debating religion, atheism and the meaning of life, the universe and everything - surely worth a look.

Doctor Who (1.30-3pm)

Appropriately, a discussion of the past, present and future of everybody’s favourite time traveller, and a preview of the forthcoming Who exhibition at Kelvingrove Art Gallery. Terrance Dicks, one of the most prolific writers on the old version of the show, joins up with Stephen Greenhorn, writer on the current show, to discuss all kinds of Whoviana.

Ben Goldacre (3-4pm)

Mr Goldacre writes the popular Bad Science column in the Guardian, and published a book of the same name, in which he attacks dubious medical claims and exposes the ways pseudoscience is used to justify everything from astrology to homeopathy. Expect arguments aplenty!

Christopher Brookmyre and Mark Billingham (9-10pm)

Last year, B&B (as nobody has ever called them) were one of the most entertaining pairings of the whole festival, keeping the audience in stitches for their full hour. And it’s a safe bet that their mixture of readings, banter and audience questions will get the same reaction this year.

Sunday 8 March

History of The Beano (2.30-3.30pm)

You have to admire the inclusiveness of a literary festival that welcomes a presentation on the history of a kids' comic. So here it is, a look at the 71-year history of The Beano, presented by Beano insiders Morris Heggie and Euan Kerr.

Alasdair Gray (7.30-9pm)

Yer man Gray, already established as a great artist and a great novelist, now appears in an event focusing on his work as a playwright. Makes you sick, doesn’t it? Not only that, but this event will include two presentations from his plays, with Gray himself taking a role. Now that’s just showing off.

Monday 9 March

Off the Page (3-4pm)

Aye Write hosts a number of events dedicated to new writing, and this presentation by the Greater Pollok Carers' Writing Group is just one of them. It's scheduled to showcase not only stories and poems, as you’d expect, but songs and sketches as well. The variety, and the fact that it's free, means it's surely worth a visit.

Days Like This Anthology (6-7pm)

As featured in The Skinny, the Days Like This project asked the Scottish public to submit creative writing that was simply about a memorable day. Some of the best stories are featured in a new anthology, and two of the judges who selected these stories, Jamie Andrew and Roddy Woomble, will be here to discuss the project.

Benjamin Zephaniah (7.30-8.30pm)

Novelist, playwright, Aston Villa fan and talented performance poet Zephaniah comes to the Mitchell for an engrossing hour of performance. Whether writing poems as protest or entertainment, Zephaniah is always riveting.

Forest Stories Café (9-10.30pm)

Edinburgh’s Golden Hour, a mixture of readings and performances, is going on tour this year, and this is its Glasgow stop. Expect readings from their recent Stolen Stories collection and some live music too as they turn the Mitchell’s Café into another performance space for the night.

Friday 13 March

Alan Bissett (9-10pm)

In one of the stranger twists in the festival's line-up, Alan Bissett presents his ‘one-woman show’. He'll be performing monologues in the voice of his latest literary creation, Moira Bell, described as Falkirk’s hardest woman. Could be bizarre, could be inspired – but it’ll probably be both.

Saturday 14 March

Aye Write! Awards Ceremony (8-9pm)

The very last event of the festival is the presentation of the Aye Write! Bank of Scotland Prize for Scottish Fiction. Last year's winner was Gold by Dan Rhodes. Yet more interesting is the awarding of the Sceptre Prize, the award for the best student fiction to come out of Glasgow University's Creative Writing course. A appropriate end to a festival celebrating the best in Scottish writing.